Woodruff was born, and died, in the environs of Cincinnati, OH. His minor league career stretched 15 years, of which parts of six seasons were with Louisville and parts of five with Indianapolis.

Through 2010, the only other major leaguer with the last name Woodruff has been Sam's near contemporary Pete Woodruff. Pete spent his career in the eastern part of the country.

Orville Woodruff was never called "Sam" by the press. He was called by his real name Orville. In 1905 the Sporting Life reported that he was threatened with malaria. The March 19, 1910 issue referred to Orville as the assistant to manager Heinie Peitz.

In 1914 the Sporting Life, although still calling him Orville, mentioned him also by the name "Woody", in quotes. The paper said Woodruff had bought a saloon in Covington, KY and that business was good enough that he was thinking about quiting pro ball.

In 1897 the Sporting Life referred to him as the nephew of Farmer Vaughn, and in another issue it referred to Vaughn having another nephew named Henry Woodruff (in the same issue, it mentioned a P.F. Woodruff, a pitcher, who was looking for work).